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Zician War of Unification
The Zician War of Unification, also known as the North Zican revolution, was a conflict beginning in ERA 10-23. It involved the armed forces of North Zicia, South Zicia, Heartland and the Great Empire. Background In the ERA 09-50's, a large portion of the country of Zicia was taken over by Heartland as part of the ERA 09-55 Total War. Most of the North of Zicia was annexed, however the Southern portion remained in control of Independant Zicia, now known as South Zicia, with the military support of the Great Empire. An attempted uprising in March ERA 09-58 by North Zician troops and Heartland mutineers was quickly and mercilessly crushed, cementing Heartland's control of the country. For the next seventy years, North Zicia was occupied by Heartland. While military aid was given to support the country, most of the trade and economy of the country was controlled by the invaders. Relations between the North and South Zicias were strenuous at best, and while there was very little large-scale conflicts between the two nations, the North saw the allies of South Zicia, namely the Great Imperials, as the enemy, and a formal state of war was put in place by Heartland. Heartland's grip on the country weakened throughout the ERA 10-10's, as large scale military defeats including Operation Stranglehold, Operation Dusk's End and the Pocket War forced Heartland to transfer much of it's occupation force back home, leaving the vast North Zician armies, most of them built up by Heartland during the annexation period, to operate nearly independently. By ERA 10-22, there was very little Heartland opposition in the country, contributing to the success of the uprising. North Zician Revolution In early January ERA 10-23, demonstrations by civilians in the North Zician capital of Kanunghlekin, organized by the Zician Provisional Democratic Party, began to flare up. Police units, as well as troops from the Regular Army, were instructed by Heartland to quell the resistance with the use of force. However, most of the Zician units sent against the demonstrators were sympathetic with the PDP, and subsequently abandoned their positions and vehicles, or joined the civillian militia. Other Military units within North Zicia performed several successful coup-de-etas, taking control of important political and industrial centers, as well as rounding up Heartland figureheads, most of whom were Military officials put in place to control major parts of North Zicia's infrastructure in line with Heartland's own agenda. The demonstrations, now becoming full-scale revolts soon spread to other parts of the country. Civilians took up whatever arms they had, including petrol bombs and improvised explosives, and occupied key positions in their local areas; taking control of town halls, police stations, banks, schools and power stations. Several domestic units, still under Heartland control, attempted to resist the takeover, but were either defeated or defected to the revolutionaries' side. After only a few weeks of fighting, the severely under-strength Heartland forces had been pushed into small pockets scattered across the country, and the borders had been occupied by North Zician Army Units, now commanded by the Provisional Democratic Party. Heartland's Counterattack In late January, in an operation known as Actizoine Tezdanour (H: Operation Magnetism), Heartland began sending troops in to stabilize the country, but found that most of the defenses they had put in place, most notably the border networks, were now in the control of the rebels, making their progress difficult. Meanwhile, PDP-controlled North Zician forces secured more and more territory to the South. In response, the South Zician border was put on high-alert, but no Great Imperial intervention was deemed needed. The revolutionary war continued for many months, with the control of cities changing frequently; at times, some areas changed hands daily. Sanctions and threats were made against the country by Heartland, including the threat of destruction by supernuclear bomb, similar to the one used to destroy the city of Solomon in Operation Dusk's End. However, some Heartland officials, keen to end the war quickly and peacefully to concentrate on efforts in their own country, dismissed the threat by debunking the myth that the country had developed a second bomb. This fact was naturally picked up by other foreign nations, presenting a major intelligence leak which resulted in a small-scale power struggle in the Heartland government. At the same time in North Zicia, the Heartland armed forces had reached a stalemate, and seemed unable to continue the assault without more resources. These requested resources were not granted, as in June ERA 10-23, Heartland started withdrawing from North Zicia. Hostilities were postponed in early July. Background to the Reunification War During the ERA 10's, North Zicia's army increased greatly, transforming the poorly equipped border maintenance force into a modern, and largely manned, combined forces military. This army, used to defeat Heartland in ERA 10-23, would later fight against South Zicia in a conflict known as the Reunification War. Following the ousting of Heartland's occupation, widespread themes of patriotism and domestic strength were present in the population. In light of their country's victory, support for the armed forces grew, and recruitment numbers continued to reach even higher levels. Large parts of North Zician industry, previously utilized by the occupiers, were returned to the hands of the new government. The Reclamation Party, an ultra-nationalist political party that seized power during the revolution, continued to gain support. This was aided by the government's control of the country's media, who spread party-positive propaganda. Some opposed the new regime, criticizing the government's perceived collaboration with Heartland after the war, claiming the occupiers escaped without adequate persecution. Others commented that the new government mistreated the population on a similar level as the Heartlandians, controlling industry and the media for their own ends. Despite this, public opinion was considered to be positive during autumn ERA 10-23. During the period that followed, the North Zician Reclamationists would use their power of influence to rally support against South Zicia and it's Imperial allies. North Zician citizens believed that the country of Zicia should be reclaimed for their new regime. The South Zicians, who aligned with the Great Empire during their struggle with Heartland during the ERA 09-55 Total War, were perceived to be traitors, who willfully accepted Imperialism unlike the North which had had Heartland's similar ideals forced upon them involuntarily. In the following months, support for a Zician War for Unification was growing rapidly. As a direct result, the South Zician Armed Forces, who had been in a state of alert since the uprising in the North, began to actively prepare for battle. North Zicia Pushes South In the build up to the Unification War, tensions between the North and South Zicia intensified greatly. By Summer ERA 10-23, skirmishes along the border had become increasingly frequent, and accounts of espionage and military sabotage in South Zicia especially cause the two countries to grow further apart. While a peaceful resolution was possible, these extensive hostile actions made leaders on both sides reluctant to any kind of cooperation. In early May, South Zician soldiers on the border observed build ups of hostile infantry, tanks and artillery to the North. The armed forces were immediately placed on highest alert as well as military equipment being removed from storage. Reservists were called up in large numbers. On the 8th of August ERA 10-23, South Zicia received widespread reports of major breaches in the defensive lines to the North. Bases along no-mans land were either overrun or bypassed in favor of weaker point in the line. The South's air forces were severely crippled during the first few days; North Zician saboteurs were found to have infiltrated many major airbases along the front, destroying a large percentage of aircraft in their hangars. Other airfields were targeted by large-scale bombardment, where North Zician aircraft took heavy losses but managed to disable runways and eliminate their enemy's jets on the ground. Surprise attacks by North Zicia in the North-Western sector included false-flag operations, sabotage, raids by paratroopers and supposed deployment of equipment or weapons that were able to knock out the national power grid in the region, and sever critical lines of communication. Despite several cases of successful defense, by mid October most of the Southern defenders were in retreat. While prepared for the sheer numbers of North Zician troops that they faced, South Zicia had grossly underestimated the technological strength of the North, who during the ERA 10's had radically modernized their fighting forces in secret. Other problems that hampered the South's defense was the loss of logistical and communication chains, the unreadiness of their reserve units, widespread lack of combat experience, enemy air superiority, and their lack of adequate equipment; in many areas, the North Zician's gear far surpassed the South's from a technological standpoint. In addition, vehicles and weapons that were taken out of storage were mostly found to be in a state of disrepair, and required service before they could be used in battle. Many caches of weapons and vehicle storage facilities were taken by the aggressors before the maintenance could be completed, further limiting the South's supplies. By December, the North had made significant advances. The remaining South Zician resistance was being pushed back into a series of pockets in the South and East. Meanwhile, the North Zicians had captured the borders to Causeway, and a large portion of the border of the Great Empire. Despite minor clashes, there were no attempts by North Zicia to cross into Imperial Varia. The South Zician government, who were promised protection by the Great Empire, initially refused military aid from the western power, due to the cooling of relations between the two countries in the last two decades. There was little hostility between the North and the Imperials, so they were equally reluctant to enter the conflict. However, spy networks within Zicia complied a rather convincing report that the North Zician insurrection was being secretly sponsored by Heartland, who would be allowed to operate in the region after the South was defeated. While it is entirely possible this report was a fabrication, many Great Imperial commanders believed this could not be allowed to happen. By this stage, Souzics has lost huge amounts of territory to the rapidly advancing Norzics. They agreed to military support on the 14th December. As a result, North Zicia declared war on the Great Empire the following day. First Norzic-Imperial War The War of Unification continued in a period known as the First Norzic-Imperial War, when Great Imperial forces joined up with the besieged Souzic Army in an effort to retake the country. Having steadily built up their own forces during the ERA 10's, the opportunity mostly due to Heartland and the United Forces concentrating their military might on each other in that period, the newly reformed and equipped Imperials had the technology and numbers to match the Zicians. Although extrememly costly for both sides, the Imperials eventually claimed victory and forced the North Zicians out of South Zicia, restoring the border to what it had been pre-conflict. The South Zician public was furious at their Northern counterpart for invading, and border skirmishes between the two intensified. Although defeated, the North Zician leaders maintained that victory had been very close, and that valuable lessons had been learned for a future war, where they would finally unify Zicia under their flag. These sentiments meant that the lull in fighting between the two nations could never last, and just over a year later in ERA 10-26, the Norzics struck again, begininning the Second Imperial-Norzic War. Second Norzic-Imperial War In August ERA 10-26, the Norzic Armed Forces prepared for a second invasion of the southern nation. In the previous war, the Imperials had come to the aid of the Souzics and saved them from complete destruction. This time, the Norzics planned to disrupt this alliance by causing unacceptable casualties to the Imperials, forcing them to withdraw and leaving the Souzics to face them alone. The offensive launched with a surprise attack on the Imperial fleet in the Great Channel, with the aim of wiping it out as an effective fighting force, and clearing the way for a seaborne invasion. Although relatively successful, the armada survived total destruction and managed to counterattack and destroy the comparatively under-strength Norzic navy. In an extremely poor tactical decision, the seaborne assault was launched anyway, and is annihilated by the South Zician and Imperial Armies. With the vulnerability brought about by the squandering of it's nations best troops, the South Zician leadership plan their own invasion of North Zicia, with the intent of seizing the capital, ousting the government and reuniting Zicia under their own regime. Despite the protests of the Imperials, who are extremely weak after fighting two costly wars in foreign territory, they are eventually persuaded and form an Imperial-Souzic Task Force to attack the North from the sea. The North Zicians muster a significant defensive force, and incur horrendous losses on the invaders, but fail to halt their advance. After a week of heavy fighting and rapid advance, the Coalition Forces enter the capital city of Kanunghlekin, where a fierce urban battle rages. The city is reduced to rubble, but the Imperials gradually gain ground, with besieged Norzic forces slowly being wiped out. Just as the Norzic forces look to be at the brink of collapse, a supernuclear bomb detonates over the capital. The majority of both sides are incinerated by the blast, with the small remaining coalition contingent withdrawing by sea. The North Zicians reclaim their country, at the cost of millions dead and their capital city scorched off the face of the earth. Kanunghlekin becomes the second city in history to be destroyed by weapons of mass destruction. While the deployment of the bomb allowed North Zicia to survive as a nation, its use ultimately set in motion an unprecedented escalation in the global conflict, the likes of which the world, which has been consumed by war since the beginning of time, had never seen. Category:Conflicts Category:Premier Timeline